The present invention relates to a door structure for an automobile for supporting a hinged door and, more particularly, to a door structure for an automobile constructed so that a minimum gap is formed between the edge of a flange projecting from the free side of the door and the countersurface of a doorpillar.
In some cases, the free side of the hinged door of a general passenger car interferes with the counter surface of the doorpillar of the body facing the free side of the door in opening and closing the door due to dimensional errors in the body or assembling errors in attaching the door to the body. Accordingly, it is necessary to form a clearance between the free side of the door and the countersurface of the doorpillar to compensate for such errors. Since the door has a comparatively large thickness, the clearance allowing the free opening and closing of the door must be comparatively large, which spoils the aesthetic appearance of the body. Ordinarily, a flange projects from the free side of the door to cover this clearance and the door structure is designed so that a minimum clearance is formed between the edge of the flange and a countermember of the doorpillar or that of the adjacent door.
The body can be distorted by a collision causing the door to be dislocated toward the doorpillar. In such a case, the edge of the flange of the door is caused to hit against the corresponding countermember before the free side of the door comes into collision with the corresponding countersurface of the doorpillar when a minimum clearance is formed between the edge of the flange of the door and the corresponding countermember. For example, in a door structure having a door disposed with the edge of the flange thereof opposite the doorpillar of the body, the flange of the door will be pressed against the doorpillar to distort the flange and the doorpillar when the door is dislocated by a collision. In a four-door automobile, in which the rear edge of the front door and the front edge of the rear door are positioned opposite to each other, a flange formed in the rear end of the front door and a flange formed in the front end of the rear door hit against each other by a collision and thereby both the flanges are deformed.
Deformation of both the flange of the door and the corresponding countermember requires additional cost for repair and increases the expense for repairing the door and the doorpillar.
To eliminate those disadvantages of the conventional door structure, Japanese Utility Model Laid-open (Kokai) No. 61-5265 discloses a door structure including a front door hinged at the front end thereof and having a free rear end formed with an inclined sliding surface declining to the rear, and a center pillar having a front sliding surface declining to the front.
In this known door structure, if the front door is dislocated by a collision due to the distortion of the body, the rear end of the front door is caused to slide outward by a large extend along the sliding surface of the center pillar. Consequently, the collision of a flange formed in the rear end of the front door with a flange formed in the front end of the rear door is obviated, and thereby the deformation of the flanges is prevented.
However, a door locking mechanism, in general, is provided between the rear end of the front door and the center pillar. The door locking mechanism is exposed to a large force which generates an excessive stress in the door locking mechanism, when a large force is applied to the front door to dislocate the front door outward by a large extent.
The present invention has been made in view of those foregoing problems in the conventional door structures. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide means capable of surely preventing the deformation of the flange of the door and the corresponding countermember, such as the doorpillar and preventing the action of an excessive force on the door locking mechanism, when the door is dislocated toward the doorpillar by a collision.